Past Teachers

 

This area is dedicated to your memories of your  teachers whilst at school.  Clean interesting stories are most welcome.  Please send any article as an attachment to an e-mail to admin@nautical.lambeth.sch.uk.

The picture below was we think taken in 1977.

I attended the LNS from 1975-1981 and have fond and sore memories.  Interestingly the photograph on your website brought back memories of some of my teachers including my form teacher Mr Scrivener(bottom row, second from the right).  He was also in charge of the Adventure training department and we experienced some brilliant camping trips up and down the country, which has to be my fondest memories.

I was also involved in the choir and it was through LNS that I became a choirister in Southwark Catherdral choir.

The Asian gentleman next to him, Captain Daniels took great pleasure in administering 6 strokes of the cane after myself and several other classmates were caught bunking off by the police one afternoon.

The large gentleman on the same row extreme left was our French teacher, Mr Victor Delbourgo. You can image the great pleasure we had in taking the mick out of his initials VD, which we felt he well deserved as he loved any excuse to put us detention or cane us. 

Mr Long behind in the yellow was one of our sports teachers and the Greek looking gentleman in the row behind him, far left was Mr Bikos our rather critical, blackboard throwing, ear pinching and slapping, maths teacher.

I can recall about 10 or so other names and recognise everyone else in the picture includiing the head Master Mr Allett (I think that's how it was spelt) with his arms folded, centre front row.

What a shame the slipper and the cane have been banned from schools.  I would definetly be in favour of it coming back, it did me no harm whatsoever.  We actually had some respect for our teachers and I can remember always having parade in the mornings before assembly and standing to attention whenever a teacher entered the room. 

Yours faithfully.
Colin Mason

1 June 2005

 

 

It was with much nostalgia I read various old boys memories of the teachers at LNS.  I attended LNS from 1961 to 1968 and have remained in contact with several old boys from my time there.  I can put other old boys in touch with Buzz Blake, Dave Chinn, Alec Hafele, Richard Day, Bob Sangster, Chris Rudd and Ian Meaden.
 
As for the Masters, I recall our A level English Lit teacher, "Chuck" Berry with much affection. I still retell some of his corny jokes.  Of course the memory of Capt Harding-Raynes (Flappers) still sends a tingle of fear down my spine - but I certainly learnt a lot from him.  "Rosy" Rosenthal tried in vain to teach me French. "Juicy" Jenks and I never got along.  I still have the report card where I came 2nd out of 104 in the end of term English exam and he wrote "Not a clever boy - how he achieved this result is beyond me".  I recall two Head Masters with much respect - Mr. Colgate and Mr. Allen.  Mr. Scott was Assistant Head throughout.
Mr. Owens and Mr.Parsons taught me all I know about math - I can still hear Mr. Parsons chanting "If you change the side you change the sign".  I sang the same song to my kids.
 
So many happy memories.  I think I was one of the few who was actually sad to leave school.
 
If any old boy is in the Boston area, I would welcome the chance to chat about the old days over a pint of beer.
 
Sincerely
 
John Sheather
Vice-President
Canada Steamship Lines
International Division.

 

 

Whilst the Old Boys network is most welcome, is there any possibility of 'Old Masters' being added to the system.
I remember many of the masters from my time with great affection for their vain efforts to educate me. Unfortunately I did not appreciate the importance of a formal education until long after I had left LNS. All may not have been in vain as I later graduated with a B.A (Hons) from the University of Westminster as a mature student. I expect that many of them[masters from my time]have passed on to the great playground in the sky. However it is possible that many of the more recent students would like to keep in touch with retired masters. It may also give retired staff an opportunity to keep up with their erstwhile charges.
Masters who have remained in my memory in particular are Mr 'Mac' MacDonald (biology) Capt W.S Harding -Raynes Form master 5HR ( Smoked 40 Woodbines a day in class!!!!) Sid Hurst (PE) Capt H.B.H.Harvey .

Regards,
Robert Green
BobGreenOK@aol.com

21/09/01
 
I now realise what a thankless task they had. My memories are of 'Juicy' Jenks, got well spanked for letting that slip out in class once. Mr Delborgo (sp) and his vicious little piece of wood he whacked your hands with. Giant Jack Challis who as the resident sick bay teacher prescribed gargling with savlon & an aspirin for every ailment you went to see him with. Mr Crowe & especially Mr Owen the metalwork / TD teachers, Mr Owen had a part time job as a steward at Wembley and regaled us with stories from England Internationals and Cup Finals, "that's what I want to do when I
leave school Sir". My form master for most of the time Frank Gordon, a really nice bloke, how he put up with us I'll never know. Others that spring to mind, 'Mazda' Mullroy - science, Mr Golding for field trips we went on, thanks for putting out the fire in my tent, primus stoves, don't you just love 'em. Mr Allot was my headmaster, only ever spoke to him once at my interview, not sure if this was intentional on his part. There are many others and I'm sorry if I've left you out and your names will come back to me when I hit the send button. A Big Thank You to all of you. Colin Wing '69 -'74 PS The one good life experience I did get was being a Duty Steward (more times than I care to remember), clearing away schoolboy's dirty plates is good training for changing babies nappies.


Wing, Colin Colin.Wing@bt.com         23/10/01
 
The London Nautical School, Old Masters.

With the passing of time, recollections of school days diminish to become a collection of unrelated

memories;- The embarrassing occasion when out on the Thames we had misjudged the turn of the tide and had to give up rowing, while going backwards, and submit to a tow back up river from a passing police launch. The morning we all arrived to an impromptu holiday because the end wall of the building, nearest to the mast, was showing signs of collapsing, (it was still shored up with large timber struts when I left in 1959).

Of the masters I still remember by name, there were Capt Gibbs and Capt Harvey, the latter was the senior member of the nautical staff, a man of smallish physical stature, but with a very impressive and commanding presence which produced instant obedience. There was the colourful

Mr Fowler, who I think lived on a boat on the Medway, but drove to school each day in an open top MG sports car. The approaching toot of the horn and double flip of the throttle would produce a rush to open the school gates and in he would roar to park in the shed. It was the time of a weekly compulsory period of religious education mainly taken by Mr Fowler, they were extremely

entertaining lessons during which religion was never touched upon, except for one rare occasion when we all arrived in class to discover for the first time that the school actually owned sufficient

Bibles for one to each desk. The mystery appearance of these tomes was cleared up on learning that a visit by LCC education inspectors was immanent.

With best wishes
 
Keith Sanger

03/12/01
 
I note with particular interest the recollections by Robert Green and Keith Sanger of our past teachers. I likewise did not appreciate until later life the benefits of an academic education, however the life-skills I gained in particular from Captains Harvey, Harding-Raynes, Gibbs, and 'Foxy' Fortune-Fowler have molded my view on life. I can still hear that booming commanding call 'Muggins' eminating from the much respected Capt. Harvey. I also remember the spontaneous and heartfelt cheer that went up from the whole school when it was announced that 'Sid' Hurst was to leave the LNS. (His frog-eyed Austin Healey suffered from sugar in its tanks and was once found resting in the middle of a local bomb-site.
 

Captain Stephen R New

07/04/02
 
It may be that I’m on the wrong side of middle age to be making contributions to a "past masters" web site, but if it means an opportunity to recognise the dedication, tenacity and occasional altruism of my old teachers, I’m gonna take a risk. Principally, Mr Dalby and Mr McHale who managed to motivate, inspire and perhaps most importantly, genuinely understand the overwhelming majority of students that passed through their classrooms. Similarly, Mr Davidson, who apart from having a great car collection, always made time for us to practice. It was a privilege being educated not by pawns of a crippling bureaucracy, but individuals that were committed to real "education" rather than vaccinating against free thinking.

Anyway, hyperbole and rhetoric aside, just wanted to say thanks.

Steven Walker

07/10/02

 
 

Dr.A.E.Rosenthal - Ferocious French Teacher
Catain Colgate -Understanding Head Master
Robert Callaghan - Lousy Pupil

Anecdote from ca.1963


I was at the LNS from 1961-1968 and can remember virtually all myteachers as if they only caned me yesterday.This is the story of justone caning of many scores endured during 7 great years at the venerableinstitute of learning in Stamford Street.

Monday morning directly after assembly (Which I avoided every day byhiding in an alcove next to Mr Grimwoods classroom sharing the space andtwo Park Drives with Jimmy Meadows).As usual 'Rosy' was starting a 2 hour French lesson with a 10 sentence test.No sweat ,I'm sitting next to Sykes who knows the drill and very generously allows me to duplicate his paper.Answers are handed in and marked immediately.Rosy was no slouch. Imagine my indignation when instead of receiving praise for my diligence like Sykes and Atkins all I got were raised (very bushy) eyebrows and gutteral utterances(Rosy was a Czech national who spoke broken English and questionable French). Had I cheated?
This was indeed the moment of truth ......and.....I lied
"No Sir! Did I do well?"
"You did too well Callaghan.Unbelievably well.Come to the front and repeat the test alone." I tried to ignore a grinning Sykes and concentrate on what I had copied 5 minutes before.But it was gone.Even at the age of 14 my short term memory was fried. Well ,rather than hand in a blank sheet of paper after much undignified and uncool sweating I now confessed to cheating. This pleased Rosy no end as he had been a spy catcher during the war and he went on reminiscing about how more than one evil German conscript had been trapped by his interrogation techniques.He was obviously delighted to have been able to keep his hand in with me and so made me a magnanimous offer. Rosy: "Callaghan,You know I don't usually cane.I don't do it because I cane so strongly (HIS adjective;he was not the English teacher)that I may burst all the vessels in a boy's backside.So I am going to give you a chance.You can have six strokes from me or instead you can copy out the first 3 chapters of 'Lycee Francais' longhand.
What do you choose?" Well this was a golden opportunity for building on my image and I played up to Dr.Rosenthal the whole way.I was also a lazy bod and had no heart for copying a French grammar so I opted for the thrashing.This was much to the appreciation of the class who were enjoying the theatre and welcomed any deviation from Rosy's declamation of French verbs. So I went through the ritual of getting the cane and book.And what a process that used to be.I crossed the school yard and conspicuously entered the staircase leading to Captain Colgate's office.Now you have to know that Captain Colgate was serious business even for a disrespectful 14 year old. He was ex R.N. and had commanded a Corvette (for the uninitiated not an American sports car but a fast warship used for anti-submarine activity)during WII.You didn't play silly buggars with a man like that. Knock knock. Colgate:"Come in. Yes Callaghan?" Me :"Excuse me sir.I've come for the cane and book sir" Colgate:"Again?What for this time?" Me :"I cheated at French sir." Colgate:"Dr.Rosenthal is going to cane you?" Me: "Yes sir."
Colgate:"Well,Good luck then." I never did have the opportunity or the brazenness to ask Captain
Colgate if he found these events amusing but I always felt he was a bit sympathetic with us scallywags.At least a grin never seemed to be far away. I always took my time walking back with the cane and book because I loved to browse through the cane book.It was issued by the London County Council and listed those who had been caned last and why.One couldn't help from feeling a certain solidarity with others who had recently gone through the ritual.I was pretty much the most sought after victim although another boy Keith Collins was hard on my heels.I presume the purpose of the book was to make sure that no boy got it too often or that no master enjoyed giving it more than was healthy but did some civil servant in County Hall really spend his afternoons controlling the number of boys had been whacked per day in all the London schools?.And what has happened to all thes impressive books now?I'd love to tot up the entries for 1963 to see if I did beat Collins Anyway I gave poor old Rosy no chance to get out of thrashing me and his reputation as a ferocious caner took a bit of a dive.He was really no better than average;just that his overture was better than the opera proper.Nevertheless he wasn't a bad old soul who had to cope with a lot of pubescant kids most of whom had no interest in French.I would have loved to meet him and tell him that I now speak fluent French and German(Believe me!I lied then but this is the truth) but I heard that he met his maker many moons ago.


All the above happened some 40 years ago.These and other experiences Ihad as a difficult kid have gelled into a fund of goodwill I hold for the London Nautical School and the time I spent there.

Robert P.Callaghan
Former Pupil

31/07/03